Unconditionally: Protectors and Priorities
by Nutter-Lamb-Chops
Summary: "I WISH I LIVED WITH REMUS, NOT YOU!" An Unconditionally two-shot
1. Chapter 1: Jealousy and Arguments

**So I'm back! (finally) and I come bearing an Unconditionally two-shot. This will probably make more sense if you've been reading Unconditionally: First Year. This story is about Sirius juggling work commitments and being a good guardian, which I think is a huge issue that most parents have endured at some stage in their lives. **

**I hope you all enjoy and the latter half of this story will be out by the end of next week so stay tuned! I will also be updating Unconditionally: First Year next week as well. **** Please review and let me know if you liked it, it brings great pleasure to an epileptic, medication riddled soul!**

PROTECTORS AND PRIORITIES

It was late one March evening that Sirius Black wearily apparated home, carelessly kicking his shoes off as soon as he landed. He was so exhausted that he lost his footing and stumbled over Harry's toys, almost impaling his right foot on an upright figurine of the current English Seeker. Sirius swore loudly and hopped through the hallway on one leg, resolving to speak to his godson _yet again_ about putting his things away as this was the second time that week he had been injured. The prior morning he had been trudging downstairs at six am and had tripped on Harry's stuffed gryffin toy, sending him flying down the last four steps. Sirius threw his bag on the dining table haphazardly and collapsed on a chair, rubbing his tired eyes and placing his head in his arms. It had truly been an exhausting few weeks.

A notorious murderer had struck the wizard community for the fifth time in six months, leaving his victim's homes in what could only be described as a violent blood bath. The wizard in question possessed a particular abhorrence for children, and his methods of 'disposing of them' as the criminal had put it himself, were so foul that Sirius was sure that he would have nightmares for years to come. It had felt as though he was back in the first wizarding war, when Voldemort and his followers had brutally slaughtered those who stood against him or who he had deemed unworthy. Walking into the victim's lounge room to find two innocent kids lying face down on the ground after what he was sure had been a torturous death still made his stomach revolt.

It could have been anyone's child.

It could have been Harry.

"Finally home, hey?"

Sirius looked blearily at Remus Lupin, who had been babysitting Harry every day for the past three weeks, as Sirius was forced to work overtime. The werewolf also sat at the table, a sympathetic look on his face. "Any luck finding him?"

"No," Sirius answered shortly. He didn't wish to discuss it any further; just thinking about it was bad enough. There was a sound of footsteps bounding down the stairs, followed by the animagus's four-year-old godson rushing into the room, his face splitting into a delighted smile at the sight of his godfather.

"Sirius!" he squealed, leaping into the man's arms. The animagus smiled and picked Harry up.

"Hey Pronglet," he said tiredly. "Were you good for Remus today?"

"He always is," answered Remus, ruffling the boy's hair fondly. He leaned in and gave Harry a knowing smile. "Why don't you show Sirius what you did today?" Harry nodded excitedly, wriggling out of his godfather's arms and racing upstairs eagerly. He returned and held a piece of parchment up for Sirius to inspect.

"I drew it!" the little boy said excitedly. "All by myself!"

Sirius took the parchment from Harry and looked at the illustration. It was a drawing of Harry and a large dog wearing a crown, running down a hill (at least that's what Sirius could gather from the squiggly lines). He smiled at his godson proudly. "That is beautiful, Harry.

"I think this story needs a title," announced Remus. He took one of Harry's pencils and wrote "Harry and Padfoot" at the top of the parchment.

"It's not Sirius," said Harry, taking the parchment again and erasing Remus's writing in annoyance. "It's you." He pointed at the picture. "See, you're the king of the werewolves and you rule the world, look after me, and keep the bad werewolves away. See?" He grinned at the two men.

Remus looked at him in shock. "Oh…" He smiled at the boy. "Well that is lovely, Harry. Thank you."

The little boy looked at his godfather elatedly. "You really like it?"

Sirius was staring at the drawing. Harry and Remus…a cold wave of jealousy that he had never felt before suddenly came over him. Harry wanted Remus to look after him, to protect him. Harry had always seen _Sirius _as his protector. A strange lump formed in his throat.

"Sirius?" Remus was looking at him in concern. The animagus shook his head, putting this new feeling down to exhaustion, and willed himself to stop his thoughts.

"It's very nice, Harry. Well done." Sirius looked at Remus, suddenly wishing that his friend would leave immediately. "Thanks for looking after him, Moony."

"Always a pleasure, Padfoot," answered Remus. The werewolf picked Harry up and gave him a warm hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, Pronglet. We'll start setting up your cubby house."

"Cubby house?" asked Sirius blankly.

"Yeah, Remy is going to build me a cubby house!" Harry exclaimed happily.

Sirius felt another pang of jealousy and resentment towards Remus. Harry had been bugging him for a month about getting a cubby house and now the werewolf was just going to butt in and do it himself. The animagus had wanted to do it, but he'd been so busy with work…it wasn't his fault!

"Great. Fantastic." He looked at Remus and could not keep his coldness hidden. "Bye, Moony."

Remus frowned at him. "Bye…" He gave Harry one last hug before disapparating. Sirius, suddenly feeling a lot happier now his best friend wasn't present, looked wearily at his godson.

"OK, Pronglet, why don't you go and play with your toys for a while? I've got to get some work done."

Harry's smile suddenly faltered at his words. "But, you're home now?" he pointed out in confusion.

"Yes, well, sometimes work doesn't stop when you get home," Sirius replied, slightly snappishly. Looking at his godson's face, he gave an apologetic, if somewhat strained smile. "Go and play with your quidditch toys. I've really got to get this done, mate." Harry nodded in understanding, and grabbed his toy quidditch figurines. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to his parchment, feeling slightly sick as he described the foul acts the murderer had committed.

"-and Bagman smashes the Irish seeker in the nose!" Harry shouted, imitating the English beater repeatedly hitting the opposing seeker with great vigour. "Bagman, what a man, what a player-"

Sirius groaned as his godson's voice seemed to pierce his aching skull. "Harry, not so loud, please!"

Harry immediately quietened and resumed his play silently, casting his godfather nervous glances every now and then. Sirius rubbed his temples in an effort to calm both his headache and slowly increasing irritation, and resumed his work.

He suddenly felt a tug on his robes and he turned to face his godson. "What is it, Harry?" asked the animagus, unable to keep his impatience hidden this time.

"I'm hungry," the little boy muttered nervously, looking at his godfather with downcast eyes. Sirius glanced at the clock and groaned.

"Sorry, Pronglet, I didn't realise it was so late." He yawned and stretched his arms. "Luigi's isn't open Monday nights. I guess I can make toasted sandwiches?"

"Remus made dinner."

Sirius looked at Harry who pointed at the bench. Sure enough, there were two bowls of steaming chicken soup waiting for them, kept hot by spell work. He inwardly thanked his best friend and tried to ignore the feeling of guilt in his stomach. It was supposed to be _his _job to feed Harry, not Remus's. Shaking his head, he placed a bowl before Harry. "That was nice of him. Uh oh, looks like someone put broccoli in!" He pointed out teasingly, feeling smugly satisfied that Remus at least didn't know Harry's food preferences.

"I like broccoli."

Sirius stared at his godson in disbelief. Harry had always hated broccoli; he complained that eating it felt like he was brushing his teeth and he didn't see why he should have to do that more than twice a day. "Since when?"

"Remus cooks it for dinner all the time," Harry explained, dipping his spoon into the bowl eagerly. "It's really nice, it's not soggy or anything."

Sirius felt another stab of jealousy toward his best friend. He knew very well that his own attempts at cooking were a source of great amusement for the werewolf and his godson. Stupid Remus and his brilliant cooking skills! Leaving his own bowl on the bench, he returned to his paperwork, groaning as he realised that he had lost his place.

Harry looked at Sirius uneasily. Never before had he seen his godfather like this, so cold, dismissive and impatient. The little boy frowned thoughtfully as he pondered how to make his godfather feel better. He grinned; what Sirius needed was a hug, and he was going to get it. The four year old left his seat and clambered onto his godfather's lap, throwing his arms around the man's neck as he always did when he hugged him.

"Harry, please!" Sirius manoeuvred Harry from his lap and placed him on the ground. "I need to get this done, mate. Finish your dinner."

Harry stared at the man, his lower lip trembling. Sirius had never refused to hug him before. What had he done to make his godfather so angry with him? The man had ignored him all week and was now rejecting cuddles. The little boy suddenly felt a flash of anger and he glared at Sirius.

The animagus held his parchment in the air, frowning as he reread a paragraph in his head. _"The perpetrator has a history of violence dating back twenty ye-"_

SMASH!

Sirius jumped in the air, accidentally knocking his paperwork all over the ground in shock. Harry had picked up his bowl and thrown it at the wall; soup and vegetables slowly slid down against broken fine china.

"Harry James Potter!" Sirius shouted angrily. He stood in front of the small boy, looking down at him furiously. "You do NOT throw your dinner and MY bowl at the wall!"

"You started it," Harry yelled in response. "You're ignoring me! You're making me fru-frustrated!" he managed to get the word out with great difficulty.

"That is IT! You're not staying over at Ron's place tomorrow night."

Harry's eyes widened in horror. "You promised!"

"Well you're behaving like a brat and I am not putting up with it. Go to your room right now, and don't even think about leaving it for the rest of the night!"

"Remus wouldn't send me to my room!"

"He would if you smashed one of his bowls against the wall!" Sirius flicked his wand at the mess and it immediately disappeared. "Don't do something so stupid again!"

"I WISH I LIVED WITH REMUS, NOT YOU!"

A nasty silence filled the air. The animagus moved so that he was towering right over Harry, whose eyes were now wide with fear.

"Get out of my sight!" growled Sirius, pointing fiercely at the staircase. "I don't want to see you for the rest of the night. I mean it." He felt a brief stab of guilt when he took a good look at Harry's tear filled eyes but it only served to increase his angry state of mind. "Go! NOW!" His godson gave him one last look of fear before bounding up the stairs. Sirius heard his door slam shut and he collapsed on his chair once more, rubbing his face with his hand.

"_I WISH I LIVED WITH REMUS, NOT YOU!"_

The animagus rested his head in his hands, willing his arms to stop shaking. Paperwork was the last thing on his mind.

I….I

It was well after midnight by the time Sirius had finished his paperwork. He groaned as he threw his quill down and glanced at the staircase for the umpteenth time that night. For hours he had been wrestling with himself whether to go up and talk to his godson but each time the overwhelming sense of guilt rushed through him and he put it off. Sirius didn't know if he had the strength to look into Harry's eyes and be told again that he wanted to live with Remus.

Finally, after berating himself for being so selfish to not speak with Harry when the events that had transpired that evening were his own fault, he got up and marched up the stairs determinedly to check on his godson, who had most likely fallen asleep by now. Sirius opened his godson's bedroom door, expecting to find Harry fast asleep with his stuffed gryffin cuddled under his arm.

What he didn't expect was an empty bed, the stuffed gryffin gone and an open window.

Panic washed over Sirius like a tsunami. "Harry?" he called in alarm. He rushed to his own bedroom, hoping against hope that his godson had simply left his window open and was hiding under Sirius's bed as he often did when he was upset. But Harry wasn't there.

"Oh no…" The animagus bolted downstairs and out the front door as fast he could and searched the street desperately.

"HARRY!" he shouted into the night. Nothing but silence answered him. Feeling like he was going to be sick, Sirius apparated to his best friend's house, and banged loudly on the werewolf's bedroom door, before entering.

"REMUS! WAKE UP!" he yelled. A sleepy Remus emerged from his bed and frowned at Sirius.

"Padfoot, what the-"

"Remus, Harry is missing!"

**Wooo! I thoroughly enjoyed writing this half of the story and I hope you enjoyed reading it **** See you all next week!**


	2. Chapter 2: Talks and Understandings

**Eeeek, sorry about the late update! It has been a crazy few months (read my A/N on Unconditionally: First Year for more info) But I have returned with the second part of this two-shot. I hope you all enjoy and thank you for your patience!**

**Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own nor am I making profits from Harry Potter. I just love the Sirius and Harry angst!**

PROTECTORS AND PRIORITIES

PART TWO

"The boy's full name, and date of birth?"

"Harry James Potter, 31st of July, 1980."

"Any medical conditions or allergies?" continued the Magical Law Enforcement Officer, taking notes on a piece of parchment. Sirius shook his head.

"Actually he's allergic to any potion with mistletoe berries," Remus said beside him. Sirius gritted his teeth at his friend's interruption, but could not suppress the guilty feeling in his stomach; of course Harry was allergic to mistletoe berries! How could he have forgotten that? His face went pink and he nodded.

The living room was filled with officials from both the Magical Law Enforcement and Auror office. It had been little over an hour since Sirius had discovered Harry missing from his bed and, not wanting to take any chances with a crazed child murderer on the loose, had reported Harry missing immediately after returning from Remus's house. Although it was usually the Magical Law Enforcement department's job to handle missing children, the fact that said missing child was Harry Potter had warranted extra hands on deck.

"Do you have any idea where he could have gone?" asked the Officer. Sirius shook his head.

"I've contacted the family of his best friend and I've searched the neighbourhood. He's nowhere I can think of." The animagus hung his head in shame, the knowledge that he had no idea where his godson was weighing down on him like a ton of bricks. The Officer asked a few more questions before wrapping up his parchment and avowing they would do all they could to find his godson.

"We'll look as hard as we can, Sirius," Kingsley promised him, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder before following the other Officers and Aurors out of the building. Soon Sirius and Remus were the only ones left in the living room.

Remus sighed and leant against the wall. "Oh Pronglet, where could you have gotten to?"

"He could be heading to London!" suggested Sirius, jumping at the idea. "I'll floo over to the Leaky Cauldron and check-

Remus shook his head. "But he has no means of getting there."

"He might have taken the Knight Bus!"

The werewolf shook his head again. "No, you know he wouldn't do that. He hates the Knight Bus. Remember the last time he went on it? He threw up everywhere."

"Well, you're just the world's greatest guardian aren't you?" Sirius snarled at the man, his temper beginning to boil over from stress.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Remus incredulously, staring at the animagus in disbelief.

"Forget it!" snapped Sirius, refusing to look at the werewolf. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Listen, you've been edgy with me since last night, Sirius, and if we're going to find Harry, you need to communicate with me. _ .wrong_?"

"HE WANTS TO LIVE WITH _YOU, _REMUS!" shouted Sirius. "He wishes he could live with you instead of me!" The animagus kicked the dining table and collapsed on to a chair, breathing heavily. He looked at his friend wearily. "We had a huge fight last night. I was being a jerk, so he said he wished he lived with you, and then I told him to get out of my sight!" He laughed bitterly. "That's my way of dealing with someone wanting to get away from me. I tell them to get out of my sight!"

"He was upset, Sirius," said Remus softly. He sat in the chair opposite Sirius and looked at him sympathetically. "Kids say things they don't mean when they're upset, just like adults do."

Sirius sighed. "I know." He leant back in his chair with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Remus. I've been an ass."

"It's a part of your nature I've come to expect from time to time," said the werewolf with a slight smile. He looked at his friend intently. "You're not perfect, Sirius. We all make mistakes. What matters is how we handle those mistakes after we've made them."

Sirius groaned and placed his head in his hands. "It's times like these I wonder why Lily and James made me Harry's godfather and not you."

"Stop doubting yourself!" The werewolf grabbed Sirius's hands and pulled them from his face. He eyed the animagus sternly. "You are a fantastic guardian for Harry. You understand each other in a way I never could. That's how you are going to find him. Now think. Where is the one place Harry feels happiest that's _not _home?"

Sirius frowned and closed his eyes, thinking hard. Suddenly, the answer came to him, and it was so obvious he wondered how he hadn't thought of it before.

"The park!"

**I…...I**

"_Get out of my sight!"_

"_Don't do something so stupid again!"_

"_Get out of my sight!"_

"_I don't want to see you for the rest of the night!"_

"_GO! NOW!"_

Harry stomped down the path, angry tears cascading down his face. He threw Bubbles – his stuffed gryffin given him by his godfather for his birthday last year - into the bin, and stormed over to the playground, where he and Sirius had spent so much time over the years. Sitting on the swing set, he glared moodily around him, wondering what he was going to do now.

After Sirius had sent him to his room, Harry had been unable to sleep and had instead cried his eyes out for some time. Deeply hurt as any young child would be after hearing his godfather's angry words, he had made a decision then and there; he was going to run away and give Sirius exactly what he wanted. Now however, as he sat alone in the dark playground at two o'clock in the morning, Harry was beginning to wonder whether he had done the right thing. But then again, as he remembered his godfather's words, he reminded himself it was for the best…for Sirius _and _Harry.

All of a sudden he heard the sound of a twig cracking in the distance. Harry snapped his head up instantly to find he was still alone on the swing set. However, the sound of footsteps was growing louder and a dark sense of foreboding came over him.

"Hello?" he whispered nervously into the night. No one answered him. Harry began to tremble as the footsteps came even closer, and he craned his head around frantically to see who was approaching but found no one. Any second now…

Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind and he let out a scream.

"Wha' choo cryin' for, kid?" Harry whipped around to find himself face to face with a waifish boy around nine years old. The kid was staring at him curiously.

"Who are you?" Harry asked fearfully. The other boy grinned at him goofily.

"Stan Shunpike's me name!" Stan jumped onto the monkey bars and began climbing across them.

"Where do you live?" asked Harry curiously. "I've never seen you before."

"Anywhere I can lie down," answered the waifish boy with a shrug. "I usually sleep 'ere though. There's more'n enough shelter under the slide." He grinned toothily at Harry, who stared at him in amazement. This boy slept outdoors?

"But…what about your family?" he said, confused. Stan snorted.

"Like they care!" He flipped on the bars. "Me mam and da' hate me. Like I need 'em anyway!" He dangled on a bar by one hand and eyed Harry inquisitively. "I've seen _choo _before, you know."

"You have?"

"Yeah," he let go of the bar and landed most ungracefully on his feet. "You come 'ere all the time with your da'."

"He's not my dad, he's my godfather," Harry corrected gloomily, the mention of Sirius upsetting him again. "My mum and dad are dead."

Used to the sympathy of other strangers, Harry was surprised that Stan merely shrugged.

"'Ey, least someone looks after choo, eh?" He grinned at Harry again. "Won't choo be in trouble when 'e finds out choo here?"

It was Harry's turn to snort. "I don't care!" He raised his head and said decidedly. "I'm running away!"

"Oh?" Stan sat on the swing next to Harry, who wondered when the last time the older boy had showered was. "'Ow come? Did 'e hit choo?"

"No!" exclaimed Harry in horror. "He would never do that!"

"Does he starve choo?"

"No…" Harry admitted, kicking his feet awkwardly against the ground. "He can't cook though."

"Least 'e tries though, eh?" Stan pulled out a half-eaten chocolate bar from his pocket. "Me mam and da' never feed me. I just eat what I find!" He shoved the chocolate bar into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. Harry stared at him in shock. He couldn't imagine never getting fed at home, even if Sirius burned the porridge and overcooked broccoli all the time. Stan licked his fingers clean of any remnants before turning back to Harry. "So, what's the problem then, eh?"

"We had a fight," Harry explained, somewhat flatly. The knowledge that Stan never ate at home and was obviously treated very poorly had taken the steam out of him. "He told me to go away." He whimpered, tears falling down his face again. "He doesn't love me anymore."

"That what 'e said?"

"Well…no…" confessed Harry reluctantly. "I just…know."

"Choo don't know if 'e didn't say it." Stan kicked off from the ground and swung back and forth. "Me mam and da' always tell me they hate me. Don't even know what I did. Ah well. Choo say anything to him?"

"I…told him I wished I lived with someone else," said Harry in a small voice, looking at the ground again. Stan stopped swinging and stared at Harry as though he had grown a second head.

"Choo kiddin' me, right?" he asked in disbelief. When Harry didn't reply, he shook his head. "Pretty stupid, kid. Wish I had a godfather, or whatever ter go places and ter eat pizza with." At Harry's incredulous expression, he shrugged again. "I've seen choo two together, eating pizza 'ere. Every Saturday."

That was true. It was a tradition of theirs to go to the park every Saturday afternoon to devour pizza and pumpkin juice, after which Harry would spend hours on the playground whilst Sirius sat and watched. Although they hadn't done it for a few weeks now…but Sirius had looked so guilty last Saturday when Harry had mentioned this fact.

"_I'm so sorry, Pronglet," he had apologised profusely. "Soon, OK?"_

His godfather was tired. Harry could see that plainly. Every day, Sirius had come home from work, barely able to make it to his bed before he had to be up again at the crack of dawn the next day to start over again. Yet every night he was sure to check on Harry and tuck him in, and every morning he would kiss his forehead and tell him to have a good day. Harry wondered whether Stan had ever even been tucked in before.

"I am pretty lucky," he admitted, his face going pink with shame. Stan nodded fervently.

"That choo are, kid." The waifish boy got off the swing and threw his empty wrapper on the ground. "I'm gonna go find somethin' ter drink, kid. Choo should go home."

"What if he doesn't want me there anymore?" asked Harry fearfully. Stan shrugged again.

"You still wanna live with him, right?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, maybe he still wants choo ter live with 'im." He grinned at Harry. "If 'e didn't, choo'd 'ave been out on ter streets years ago, like me. Anywhoo, I best be off. See choo around, kid!" With that, Stan took off, leaving Harry all alone in the darkness. The little boy sniffled as the loneliness of the night closed in on him. Shivering in the brisk March air, he deliberated going home but it was so far to walk and he was so very tired…

"I'm sorry, Sirius," he whimpered sorrowfully, before he erupted into tears once again.

**I…..I**

Sirius and Remus raced towards Tansey Park, trying to see in the pitch black surrounding them. The animagus hoped against hope that his godson was here, his favourite place to be other than out in the backyard playing on his toy broomstick, and not in precarious circumstances he couldn't bring himself to imagine.

"Sirius look!" exclaimed Remus, pointing ahead of them. There, in the rubbish bin, sat Harry's beloved stuffed gryffin toy.

"Bubbles?" Sirius whispered in shock. He quickly snatched the stuffed gryffin up, and looked at Remus in fear. The werewolf did a quick check for muggles before pulling out his wand.

"_Lumos_," he murmured. Together, the two men perused the park, searching for any sign of Harry.

"Over there!" Remus pointed at the playground. Harry was sitting dejectedly on the swing set, kicking his feet dismally against the bark chip on the ground. Sirius noted to his dismay that Harry was shivering fiercely as he was not wearing a jacket. But he was alive…he was fine. The animagus broke out of his trance and raced towards the playground. Harry looked up at the sound of footsteps.

"Sirius!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. Sirius dropped to his knees and gathered his godson in his arms, crushing him against his chest.

"You scared me so much," he murmured into his godson's messy mop of black hair.

"I'm sorry," Harry sobbed, clutching onto Sirius's shirt with small, shaking hands. He had never felt more relieved to hug his godfather in all his life. Sirius held onto him tightly, body wracking with sobs as the stress and terror of the past twenty-four hours finally took hold of him.

"Are you OK?" Sirius asked him frantically. He inspected Harry to check for bruises or cuts but found none. The animagus held Harry at arm's length. "Has anything happened to you?"

"No, honest," answered Harry truthfully, before diving into the man's embrace again. Godfather and godson stayed like that for some time, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Sirius never wanted to let go of him again.

"Pads?" he looked up to find Remus standing over them. The werewolf inclined his head at Harry, who was still shivering from the brisk March air. Sirius nodded in understanding and smiled at the small boy.

"You must be hungry, Pronglet." He took his own jacket off and placed it around his godson before picking him up. "Come on, we'll get you warmed up and grab some nice food."

"Sounds great!" said Harry, aiming to keep his face straight. Remus chuckled knowingly.

"How about _I _make you something, whilst you and Sirius have a chat?"

Sirius glared at the other man in faux indignation. "Honestly, you'd think I was a bad cook or something!" With that the trio left the playground, arguing over the animagus's lack of prowess in the kitchen. But Sirius's hold on Harry never lessened.

**I…I**

A short time later, godfather and godson nervously sat together on the edge of Harry's bed, each trying to muster the words needed to start this necessary conversation. Remus had fed Harry before apparating to the Ministry to confirm Harry's safety.

"Harry," Sirius began, struggling to find the right way to explain his behaviour. He settled for the time being on the most important words of all. "I'm so sorry about last night."

"I'm sorry I threw your bowl at the wall. And I don't want to live with Remus," Harry murmured, gazing at the floor and shifting his feet awkwardly. "Even though he can cook."

Sirius laughed. "Well that is a pretty strong selling point." He threw his arm around his godson and ruffled the messy mop of black hair affectionately. "You know, sometimes _I'd_ like to live with Remus too. The man's Sunday roast puts my over-boiled peas and undercooked chicken to shame."

"How come he won't move in?" asked Harry curiously. Sirius sighed.

"He has his reasons." Truth be told, he had asked his friend to move in dozens of times, but the werewolf always flat out refused. Sirius knew it was due to Remus's lycanthropy, but no amount of arguing could convince the werewolf that he was not a danger to Harry outside of the full moon.

"I thought you didn't want me." The animagus could almost feel the pain in Harry's voice, and another pang went through his heart.

"That's not true, Pronglet," he said firmly. He gently grabbed his godson's shoulders and manoeuvred the boy so that they were face to face. "The way I behaved last night was unacceptable. I was so tired I couldn't even think straight, and I lost my temper out of exhaustion. But that doesn't excuse my behaviour, and words cannot express how sorry I am. I – I didn't act like a true godfather." Sirius swallowed, averting Harry's eyes as his face turned crimson. He wondered if his actions would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Harry's eyes widened, and he shook his head in horror. "You're a great godfather!" he exclaimed earnestly, snuggling into Sirius's chest. "I love you."

Sirius looked at his godson and smiled. "Love you too Pronglet. But please promise me something." He gazed into Harry's determinedly, willing his godson to understand him. "Please promise me that you'll never run away again. I know you were scared of me last night and I don't blame you for that, but please talk to Moony or someone before you think of leaving." He found that his prior jealously of his godson's attachment to Remus had vanished, and he inwardly thanked his best friend for being there for Harry when he couldn't be. "I – I can't go through this again. Please promise me that."

Harry nodded instantly; he didn't need to think twice. "I promise."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." He noticed his godson's eyes drooping as the little boy fought to stay awake. "You need to sleep, mate."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but he was so very tired and the overwhelming compulsion to fall asleep was beginning to take over. "Will you stay with me?"

"Of course," Sirius promised. The animagus pulled back Harry's quilt, and the little boy crawled under it. "Go to sleep, Pronglet. I'll be here when you wake up."

Harry smiled at him, and closed his eyes almost immediately. Sirius looked at his godson tenderly as he gently stroked the little boy's hair. He winced as he contemplated how badly the events from the previous night could have turned out had they not found Harry when they did. The young man yawned wearily and stretched his arms tiredly. He knew what he had to do to set things right.

Some time later, Remus ascended the staircase, picking up Harry's toys as he went. Walking quietly down the hallway, he opened Harry's bedroom door and poked his head in, gazing at the scene before him. Sirius and Harry were both sound asleep. The animagus's arm held his godson protectively as Harry's head rested against Sirius's chest, a small hand clutching his godfather's own tightly.

Remus smiled and shut the door silently, leaving his two favourite people in the world to get some much needed rest.

**I…I**

Four hours later Sirius made his way through the Auror headquarters. The office was strangely quiet in comparison to the past three weeks; the cubicles were neat and tidy instead of being littered with parchment and clippings from the Daily Prophet, and his fellow Aurors, whom had spent nearly every work day shouting orders and snapping impatiently at one another, were now working quietly in their designated cubicles. This new peaceful atmosphere felt strangely alien to Sirius, and he wondered, as he knocked on Rufus Scrimgeour's office door, whether he had finally lost his mind.

"Come in," a gruff voice answered, and Sirius made his way inside. Rufus was sitting at his desk, looking at him from behind his thick, bushy eyebrows.

"Isaac Finnder was found at a muggle shopping mall last night. He is on his way to Azkaban as we speak."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin."

"Yes indeed." The Head Auror regarded him for a moment before gesturing at a chair before his desk. Sirius wearily obliged, almost collapsing onto the seat. Rufus leaned forward over his desk and continued to study the animagus closely.

"How is Harry?"

"He's OK," answered Sirius with a small smile. "Pretty shaken up, but he's alright."

"And how are you?" enquired Rufus, with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius frowned. "I don't know…" he admitted, rubbing his eyes tiredly. In spite of the fact he had enjoyed a decent nap, the physical and emotional exhaustion from the last few weeks was still there. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Rufus, I - I can't keep doing this."

Scrimgeour observed him intently beneath his bushy eyebrows. "What are you saying, Sirius?"

"I'm saying I can't keep working like crazy day in and day out when I've been doing it nearly every day. And it's not just the past few weeks either. I really need to have some time off. You know that I haven't taken holidays in over a year now, and I haven't complained because I know how understaffed we've been since Nugent and Ramley left last year, but Rufus," Sirius took a deep breath and looked at his boss earnestly, "I can't keep this up, it's not fair to me or Harry. I love my job, but I love my godson more."

Rufus continued to survey the animagus keenly for a moment before speaking again. "Well, I suppose I can offload some of your casework onto someone else for a while. There's really nothing urgent that needs your dedicated attention right now anyway, with Finnder locked up." The older man finally nodded in admission. "You will take a month's holiday effective immediately. You're owed that much anyway. Tidy up your desk, bring Kingsley up to date with your work and then tell him I need to speak with him."

Sirius bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you, Rufus." The Head Auror merely waved him away as he continued his paperwork. Sirius quickly left the office in search of Kingsley; the sooner he brought the man up to speed, the sooner he could go home and devour pizza and ice cream with the person he cared about most in the whole world.

**I…..I**

"I'm home, guys! For a whole month!" Sirius called out cheerfully, as he apparated in the hallway. Harry came bounding down the stairs eagerly and into his godfather's arms. Remus followed Harry down the stairs, smiling widely.

"I'd best be off then," the werewolf grinned at Harry. "Don't you have something to show Sirius?" The little boy nodded and rushed out of the room, leaving the two men standing in the kitchen.

"You don't have to go, Remus," said Sirius earnestly, still feeling guilty over the way he had treated his friend.

"It's fine, Sirius," Remus assured him. He placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "You two need some one-on-one time together. I really hope you enjoy your holidays."

"I will. But Remus," he looked at him sincerely. "Thank you. For everything." The werewolf nodded with an understanding smile before disapparating, just as his godson came flying into the room again.

"I drew you a picture!" exclaimed Harry happily. He held a piece of parchment out to Sirius, who gazed at it with a smile. A small boy with rather large bicep muscles (Harry always avowed that one day he would be as fit and strong as his godfather) was playing with two large canines; one black, and the other brown. The black canine had its leg wrapped protectively around the small boy's waist, whilst watching him play with a snitch. Sprawled across the top of the drawing in Harry's messy handwriting was a caption:

"_Padfoo, Moonee and Pwonglet"_

Warmth spread through Sirius as he continued to gaze at the picture. He smiled proudly at his godson, who was waiting anxiously for his approval. "This is a beautiful drawing, Harry. In fact, I think it needs a place of honour!" He went to the living room wall, where his most prized possession – a signed Weird Sisters poster – hung proudly. Deftly taking it off, he stuck Harry's drawing on the wall instead. Sirius turned around to find Harry staring at him in awe.

"But you love that!" he pointed out in disbelief. Sirius shook his head decidedly.

"Nowhere near as much as I love this drawing, Pronglet. Trust me." And that was true. To Sirius, Harry's artwork symbolised that no matter what had happened, his godson still had complete faith in him. The animagus gathered Harry in his arms and grinned at him. "Hey, we haven't gone flying together for a while, have we?"

Harry's eyes instantly lit up and he wriggled in excitement. "Can we now? Please?" Sirius chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Of course we can." The animagus transformed into his large canine form, and waited obediently. Harry giggled and climbed onto the dog's back; Padfoot barked excitedly and bounded out the backdoor, tearing through the garden and spinning around in circles.

There would be times in the future that he wouldn't be there for Harry, but it didn't matter, because Sirius knew at the end of the day that Harry was his number one priority. As Sirius held onto Harry whilst they soared across the backyard, he knew that there was nothing else in the world that he would want to prioritise above his godson.

**I…..I**

**Voila! I hope you all enjoyed this two-shot! I have another one-shot in the works so stay tuned **


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